The San Francisco 49ers are off to a 4-1 start, which has them in sole possession of first place in the NFC West at roughly the quarter pole of the season.
All of their games have been decided by five points or fewer, and three of their four wins (at Seattle Seahawks, at New Orleans Saints, at Los Angeles Rams) have come via defensive stops to close out the contests, including two sack/fumbles and a turnover on downs.
But that isn't the most bizarre part of this start to the Niners season, even though those quirks in and of themselves would be enough on their own.
Instead, take a look at this trio of strange stats from Josh Dubow of The Associated Press:
The #49ers are 1 of 2 teams since at least 1940 to start season 4-1 or better despite 0 TD runs.
The 49ers are 1 of 3 teams since at least 1940 to start season 4-1 or better despite 0 INTs on D.
The 49ers are only team (regardless of record) since at least 1940 to have 0 TD…
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) October 3, 2025
We're all pretty aware of how poor the 49ers' run game has been through five games (they're averaging just 3.1 yards per carry as a team), and the conversation around the lack of rushing touchdowns so far this year has turned into meme content.
Still, Dubow's stat shows just how rare it is for a team to not be able to successfully run the ball (or at least score touchdowns via the run) and get off to the kind of start the 49ers are on to begin the year. So rare, in fact, that over the last 85 years, only two teams have done what they're doing.
The lack of interceptions is also a cause for concern, an issue that now goes back 12 games dating to last season, although it is slightly less of an anomoly according to Dubow than the lack of rushing touchdowns.
The wildest part, of course, is the Niners are the only team in 85 years to not have either to start the first five games of a season no matter what the team's record is. That means all the teams to start 0-5 since 1940 have had at least a rushing touchdown or interception, and all the 5-0 teams have had at least one, and all the records in between.
It seems unlikely the 49ers will continue to go without either for the remainder of the season, of course. They have a strong running back duo with Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson, and eventually, you have to think that one of them will find the goal line. And interceptions can sometimes be flukey, so an odd bounce or a poorly timed throw by a quarterback will eventually break that cycle, too.
So, yes, if you're thinking this has been one of the oddest 4-1 starts you've ever seen, you're absolutely correct.